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Student Newspaper of the University of Southern California Since 1912 | www.dailytrojan.com | VOL. 177, NO. 20 | Wednesday september 26, 2012
InDEX 4 · Opinion 5 · Lifestyle 8 · Classifieds 9 · Crossword 12 · Sports
Still good: Green Day’s
latest feels comfortably
familiar. PAGE 5
Conference pains: Injuries
become a hot topic in the
Pac-12. PAGE 12
heritage
By isabella sayyah
Daily Trojan
On Wednesday afternoon,
students and faculty members
gathered in Taper Hall to hear
Professor Anouar Benmalek speak
about his identity as an Arab writer.
In a presentation titled “From the
birth announcement to the obituary:
Writing as a ticket for a strange
journey,” Benmalek, a professor
of probability and statistics at the
Faculty of Pharmacy, University of
Paris-Sud, discussed his experiences
as a poet, journalist and writer.
Benmalek focused on his
struggle to define himself amid
multiple identity markers. Born in
Algeria to an Algerian Nationalist
father and an American mother,
Benmalek also had a Swiss
grandmother, African grandmother,
Bavarian great-grandmother and
Mauritanian great-grandmother.
His heritage forced Benmalek to
learn how to reconcile Western
and Eastern, as well as Islamic and
Christian, cultures.
“‘To be or not to be an Arab,’
Hamlet of Algeria would ask
himself,” said Benmalek, who
struggled with his Arab identity
after his books were published.
His novel Oh Maria, a love story
set after the fall of Moorish Grenada,
was denounced as sacrilegious by
Muslims, who proceeded to threaten
his life to the point that he left his
home on the suggestion of French
security.
Originally just a mathematician,
Benmalek “fell in love with a girl
and had no way to seduce her as a
mathematician,” so he began writing
poetry. He has now published
eight novels, three of which have
been translated into English, and
countless short stories.
Benmalek, who was born during
the Algerian War of Independence,
spent his early life dedicated to
fighting for democracy in his
homeland. In 1989, Benmalek helped
found the Algerian Committee
Against Torture, an organization
through which he co-edited the
October Blackbook, based on the
testimony of more than 250 civilians
tortured by the state.
Though he now permanently
resides in France, Benmalek
continues to question Arabs’
attitude towards human rights.
“For me the most terrible [thing]
is the observation that in the Arab
world, the aspiration to a democratic
land is not yet a natural reflex,” he
said.
The speech was organized
by Olivia Harrison, a professor
of Mediterranean studies in the
Department of French and Italian at
USC. She worked with Sheila Walker
of the Intercollegiate Department of
Africana Studies to have Benmalek,
who has been visiting college
campuses across the United States,
come to USC.
Harrison said she was originally
“delighted at the opportunity to be
able to invite him,” but it wasn’t until
later that she “discovered his novels,
which are beautifully written and
they’re real page turners.”
Some students, like freshman
pyschology major Caroline Cannan,
applauded Benmalek’s bravery in
speaking out.
“It was interesting how
comfortable he was talking about
such difficult experiences that he’s
been through, and how he’s really
grown from them,” Cannan said.
Undecided freshman Jack Koppa
also said he enjoyed attending the
event.
“It’s an opportunity that USC has
that I think is important to take
advantage of,” Koppa said. “It’s a
cooler thing to spend time on than
homework.”
Author says he juggles multiple cultures in his writing
Professor Anouar Benmalek reflects on his poetry and novels
as a struggle between his Arab and Western cultural identities.
Priyanka Patel | Daily Trojan
Conflict · Professor Anouar Benmalek explored balancing multiple
cultural personalities at the event that Professor Olivia Harrison organized.
By daniel rothberg
Daily Trojan
Mikhail Vinaykin, a Ph.D. candidate studying
chemistry, died Tuesday morning in an accident after
witnesses reported seeing his motorcycle lose control
at a high speed and collide with a streetlight pole on
Exposition Boulevard.
He was the sole rider on the motorcycle, according
to Lt. Jim Cummings, acting commanding officer
of Los Angeles Police Department’s South Traffic
Division.
Vinaykin was born in Russia and sent abroad for
his studies, according to a statement released by the
Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
“Misha was a uniquely talented young scientist,
Grad student
on motorcycle
killed in crash
The fatal incident occured Tuesday morning on
Exposition Boulevard, west of Figueroa Street.
| see accident, page 2 |
local
Joseph Chen | Daily Trojan
Crash · Mikhail Vinaykin’s accident occurred Tuesday morning on Exposition Boulevard near
Figueroa Street. The Los Angeles Police Department closed the street to investigate the collision.
funding
By yasmeen serhan
Daily Trojan
USC is well known for its steep
price tag, but a great number
of the students who attend the
university don’t end up paying the
full $64,034 bill.
Though some students
receive aid through merit-based
scholarships, others benefit
from receiving aid in the form
of university grants, federal and
state grants and loans.
Trends among students have
shown, however, that financial aid
is not consistent for all four years.
Cynthia Wang, a sophomore
majoring in biochemical
engineering, is paying more for
her sophomore year than she did
for her freshman year.
“Even though my subsidized
[loan] amount increased, the
tuition and fees I need to pay
also increased,” Wang said. “So
I actually ended up paying more
than I did last year.”
Each year, new and continuing
students are expected to complete
the College Scholarship Service
Profile and the Free Application
for Federal Student Aid to
Students see
issues with
financial aid
Some upperclassmen say
their university aid package
dropped after their first year.
| see aid, page 3 |
crime
By Annalise mantz
Daily Trojan
A Los Angeles-area man who
allegedly robbed four USC students
at gunpoint pleaded no contest to
two counts of second-degree robbery
and one count of assault with a
semiautomatic firearm Tuesday,
according to the Los Angeles County
District Attorney’s office.
Jeremy Hendricks, 24, was
sentenced to 20 years in state prison
by Judge Melissa Widdifield.
Hendricks allegedly robbed two
male and two female USC students
at gunpoint on 28th Street near
Robber
of students
sentenced
Jeremy Hendricks, who DPS
apprehended in April, made
his plea before a judge Tuesday.
| see robbery, page 2 |

Student Newspaper of the University of Southern California Since 1912 | www.dailytrojan.com | VOL. 177, NO. 20 | Wednesday september 26, 2012
InDEX 4 · Opinion 5 · Lifestyle 8 · Classifieds 9 · Crossword 12 · Sports
Still good: Green Day’s
latest feels comfortably
familiar. PAGE 5
Conference pains: Injuries
become a hot topic in the
Pac-12. PAGE 12
heritage
By isabella sayyah
Daily Trojan
On Wednesday afternoon,
students and faculty members
gathered in Taper Hall to hear
Professor Anouar Benmalek speak
about his identity as an Arab writer.
In a presentation titled “From the
birth announcement to the obituary:
Writing as a ticket for a strange
journey,” Benmalek, a professor
of probability and statistics at the
Faculty of Pharmacy, University of
Paris-Sud, discussed his experiences
as a poet, journalist and writer.
Benmalek focused on his
struggle to define himself amid
multiple identity markers. Born in
Algeria to an Algerian Nationalist
father and an American mother,
Benmalek also had a Swiss
grandmother, African grandmother,
Bavarian great-grandmother and
Mauritanian great-grandmother.
His heritage forced Benmalek to
learn how to reconcile Western
and Eastern, as well as Islamic and
Christian, cultures.
“‘To be or not to be an Arab,’
Hamlet of Algeria would ask
himself,” said Benmalek, who
struggled with his Arab identity
after his books were published.
His novel Oh Maria, a love story
set after the fall of Moorish Grenada,
was denounced as sacrilegious by
Muslims, who proceeded to threaten
his life to the point that he left his
home on the suggestion of French
security.
Originally just a mathematician,
Benmalek “fell in love with a girl
and had no way to seduce her as a
mathematician,” so he began writing
poetry. He has now published
eight novels, three of which have
been translated into English, and
countless short stories.
Benmalek, who was born during
the Algerian War of Independence,
spent his early life dedicated to
fighting for democracy in his
homeland. In 1989, Benmalek helped
found the Algerian Committee
Against Torture, an organization
through which he co-edited the
October Blackbook, based on the
testimony of more than 250 civilians
tortured by the state.
Though he now permanently
resides in France, Benmalek
continues to question Arabs’
attitude towards human rights.
“For me the most terrible [thing]
is the observation that in the Arab
world, the aspiration to a democratic
land is not yet a natural reflex,” he
said.
The speech was organized
by Olivia Harrison, a professor
of Mediterranean studies in the
Department of French and Italian at
USC. She worked with Sheila Walker
of the Intercollegiate Department of
Africana Studies to have Benmalek,
who has been visiting college
campuses across the United States,
come to USC.
Harrison said she was originally
“delighted at the opportunity to be
able to invite him,” but it wasn’t until
later that she “discovered his novels,
which are beautifully written and
they’re real page turners.”
Some students, like freshman
pyschology major Caroline Cannan,
applauded Benmalek’s bravery in
speaking out.
“It was interesting how
comfortable he was talking about
such difficult experiences that he’s
been through, and how he’s really
grown from them,” Cannan said.
Undecided freshman Jack Koppa
also said he enjoyed attending the
event.
“It’s an opportunity that USC has
that I think is important to take
advantage of,” Koppa said. “It’s a
cooler thing to spend time on than
homework.”
Author says he juggles multiple cultures in his writing
Professor Anouar Benmalek reflects on his poetry and novels
as a struggle between his Arab and Western cultural identities.
Priyanka Patel | Daily Trojan
Conflict · Professor Anouar Benmalek explored balancing multiple
cultural personalities at the event that Professor Olivia Harrison organized.
By daniel rothberg
Daily Trojan
Mikhail Vinaykin, a Ph.D. candidate studying
chemistry, died Tuesday morning in an accident after
witnesses reported seeing his motorcycle lose control
at a high speed and collide with a streetlight pole on
Exposition Boulevard.
He was the sole rider on the motorcycle, according
to Lt. Jim Cummings, acting commanding officer
of Los Angeles Police Department’s South Traffic
Division.
Vinaykin was born in Russia and sent abroad for
his studies, according to a statement released by the
Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
“Misha was a uniquely talented young scientist,
Grad student
on motorcycle
killed in crash
The fatal incident occured Tuesday morning on
Exposition Boulevard, west of Figueroa Street.
| see accident, page 2 |
local
Joseph Chen | Daily Trojan
Crash · Mikhail Vinaykin’s accident occurred Tuesday morning on Exposition Boulevard near
Figueroa Street. The Los Angeles Police Department closed the street to investigate the collision.
funding
By yasmeen serhan
Daily Trojan
USC is well known for its steep
price tag, but a great number
of the students who attend the
university don’t end up paying the
full $64,034 bill.
Though some students
receive aid through merit-based
scholarships, others benefit
from receiving aid in the form
of university grants, federal and
state grants and loans.
Trends among students have
shown, however, that financial aid
is not consistent for all four years.
Cynthia Wang, a sophomore
majoring in biochemical
engineering, is paying more for
her sophomore year than she did
for her freshman year.
“Even though my subsidized
[loan] amount increased, the
tuition and fees I need to pay
also increased,” Wang said. “So
I actually ended up paying more
than I did last year.”
Each year, new and continuing
students are expected to complete
the College Scholarship Service
Profile and the Free Application
for Federal Student Aid to
Students see
issues with
financial aid
Some upperclassmen say
their university aid package
dropped after their first year.
| see aid, page 3 |
crime
By Annalise mantz
Daily Trojan
A Los Angeles-area man who
allegedly robbed four USC students
at gunpoint pleaded no contest to
two counts of second-degree robbery
and one count of assault with a
semiautomatic firearm Tuesday,
according to the Los Angeles County
District Attorney’s office.
Jeremy Hendricks, 24, was
sentenced to 20 years in state prison
by Judge Melissa Widdifield.
Hendricks allegedly robbed two
male and two female USC students
at gunpoint on 28th Street near
Robber
of students
sentenced
Jeremy Hendricks, who DPS
apprehended in April, made
his plea before a judge Tuesday.
| see robbery, page 2 |